The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger is the earliest known demo reel by the group who would later become known as The Residents. With contents dating from around 1969, it is among their earliest known recordings, although, similarly to their many other tapes from the years between 1967 and 1972, it is not acknowledged by the band as being part of their official discography. Bootlegs of the reel have had limited circulation in recent years, and the full tape has a length of 38 minutes.
To date, only an excerpt of the title track has been released officially from this tape (on the ERA B474 and The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss compilations) however this tape also features the band's first known recorded attempt at covering The Rolling Stones' Satisfaction and also features versions of George Gershwin's Summertime, The Beatles' Let It Be, and a version of House of the Rising Sun (popularized around the time of the recording by The Animals), marking the beginning of The Residents' ongoing fascination with popular culture.
Tracks dating from the same era but which do not feature on this tape can be found on ERA B474 and The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss, suggesting the existence of further, hitherto unknown demo reels (similar to The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger and Rusty Coathangers for the Doctor) unavailable to fans.
Contents
As the reel mostly consists of loose, improvisational jams and studio banter, there is no definitive track listing, as a number of the tracks do not have known titles. However, known tracks include:
- Satisfaction (Jagger/Richards)
- Let It Be (Lennon-McCartney)
- The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger
- Summertime (G. Gershwin)
- There's The Place For Me
- House of the Rising Sun (traditional)
- The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger (Reprise)
- Ecological Blues
See also
- ERA B474
- The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss